Poetry – Job 33-34

Last week, we were introduced to the 4th friend of Job – Elihu.  However, we did not talked much about what he said because I said it would be better to look at what he said together with today’s passage.

Bible Passage:  Job 33-34

But I must confess… while I can read the passage with comprehension, I do not really understand it all.  And even after reading today again, I am not sure whether how I look at the whole passage is right or wrong.  So if any one wants to correct me, please do so.

To make some sense of it all, we have to start with Chapter 32 (ok… it just means reading it again).

After the 3 friends of Job refused to speak anymore because they felt that Job was righteous in his own eyes, Elihu (means “He is my God”) was stirred up in anger and spoke against all of them.

He was angry with Job because he justified himself rather than God.  He was angry with the other friends because they provided no real answers but condemned Job.  He could not take it anymore.

Out of his youth, he had allowed the senior friends to speak but he knew that age was no barrier to wisdom and that he had the desire, impartiality, knowledge from an upright heart to tell Job like it is.  He felt he knew what was wrong and now was his turn to speak.

Job 33 then starts off with his plea to Job to hear what he has to say, for he is sincere and his knowledge is pure.

And in his words to Job in these two chapters, we see the following:

GOD IS GRACIOUS (33:8-33)

First of all, Elihu takes issue with some of the statements of Job.

“I am innocent, there is no iniquity in me”

“Yet He (God) finds occasion against ne, He count me as His enemy”

Elihu heard Job profesing his innocence while counting God as his enemy.  Obviously this was not right for God is greater than man and is not accountable to man.

Elihu then explains the various ways God uses to speak to man, even though man may not heed what God is saying:

• God uses dreams or visions to turn man back
• God chastens man with pain
• God sends special messengers to deliver man from the Pit and to restore him back to God

But the key thing is this:  In all these, God’s purpose is discplinary and not punitive.  He does all this to direct man away from the Pit and to enlighten man with the light of life.  And since Elihu is giving all these words of wisdom – Job should listen to him.

GOD IS JUST (Job 34)

In this chapter, Elihu continues to address a few other issues that Job raised:

“I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice.”

“It profits man nothing that he should delight in God.”

I am not sure about you but how would you respond when you hear some of your fellow brethren complaining this way.

But Elihu was very firm.  He rebuked Job for charging that God for taking away his justice and for saying it it does not profit man to delight in God.

God is righteous and just in His dealings with man.  God does not do wickedness or pervert justice. In God’s great power, He shows no partiality but repays man according to his works.  And he ends by charging Job with sinning by how Job had spoken against God.

Ok… So What Do You Think?

Do you think what Elihu said was justified?  Do you think he was right in everything?  Did Job deserve the ‘admonishment’ of Elihu?  Er… still confused?

Personally, although Elihu spoke many things that makes a lot of sense, there are still some parts that I think is lacking.

In Job 33:13 – Elihu pointed out that Job was constantly contending with God.

Job wanted to find out what was going on.  Basically he was asking “Why doesn’t God tell me what is going on?”  And if you have been reading Job all along, you would have felt his frustrations.  But Elihu pointed out that God has spoken again and again in dreams etc.

But do you think Job did not know that?  So I do feel that Elihu’s accusations of Job was not right.

And also if God were to always answer all our questions, we will find that we will never truly be tested properly.  What do I mean?

What if God had told Job after Job started questioning him this… “Job! Satan’s going to test you and afflict you.  But know this.  At the end, everything will be fine and you will be healed.  Not only that, you will get back all that you have lost.”

I do feel that Job’s greatest suffering was not the pain but rather that he did not know wht he was suffering.  And it is through this complete trust in God to overcome all this that showed his faith as if it were refined through fire.

If he already knew everything will be fine in the end, he will not have improved or done better isn’t it?  Just like if we know that we have already passed a test before taking it, we will not put in much effort in studying for it.

So the lesson for me is that our greatest test is that we learn how to trust God’s goodness even though we do not understand why certain things are happening in our lives.  I believe Job learned this lesson even though Elihu did not know it then.  Can we learn this same lesson?